Script_Creation
Before you create a script, you must decide if it is to be used only for pictures to be seen on the screen (for instance a picture of a handwritten letter to be attached a mail) or if it is to be used for printouts of high quality. In the former case, the small pictures of the characters should be precisely as you see them on the screen, that is, for a common script a letter as the capital N, for instance, should have a height of around 16 pixels. In the latter case, the small pictures should be at least twice as large, implying that when you write you must set the width of the screen to e.g. 1600 pixels.
A script can consist of these characters:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
a b c d e f g h i j k l m
n o p q r s t u v w x y z
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- _ , ; . : ! ? ' " ( ) < > + * / = %
å æ à ä â ç é è ë ê
ï î ø ö ô ù ü û
Å Æ À Ä Â Ç É È Ë Ê
Ï Î Ø Ö Ô Ù Ü Û
A script from a text program is imported to "Calligraphie" in this way: Copy the characters above and insert them in a document of the program in question ("Word", for instance) in the script in question (and provide for good space between the characters). Take a picture of the screen ("Print Screen") and insert it in an image program, crop it and save it as a file in BMP format called "image".
A handwriting is made by writing the (necessary) characters on an A4 sheet placed lengthwise. You should use an underlying paper with lines so that all the characters get the correct size (such a paper can be made with the program "Lines"). At the scanning you should use a high resolution (300 dpi, for instance) so that the picture gets a width of about 3500 pixels, and hereafter diminish the picture so that the characters get the desired size (and so that the picture can be within the screen). The scanned picture is saved in BMP format and called "image". Note that different papers must be scanned with the same resolution and diminished by the same ratio. If there are variants of the characters, the procedure is repeated for each variant. There can be up to nine variants.
The characters must be numbered according to the shown order, there is however a jump from %, having number 81, to å, having number 97. The initial characters of the ten lines shown have the numbers: 1, 11, 24, 37, 50, 63, 97, 107, 115 and 125. The last character Û has number 132. For a not existing character is in the text written a dot.
The script is given a name consisting of small letters and figures (eg. "sophie"). Take a copy of the folder "nouvecrit" and give it the name of the script. The folder contains the program "Caracteres", which is used to isolate and number the pictures of the individual characters, and the program "CreeEcrit", which from these pictures produces the script file.
When the program "Caracteres" is started, the number of the character to begin with is entered - in the first turn usually number 1, and hereafter another number when an error is committed or when the character à having number 97 is reached. Then the picture "image" is shown, and with the mouse you now draw rectangles around the characters and right-click so that the rectangle is fixed. The position and the size of the rectangle can be adjusted by the arrows - by Shift the effect of the arrows alternate between the position and the size. No part of another character (or a speck on the paper) must be within the rectangle. When you go to the next character, the previous rectangle disappears and the picture is laid in the folder. In this little picture all the superfluous around the character is removed. You stop by clicking at a casual place in the picture (so that the last picture is produced) and then close the program by scroll or Esc.
You should also draw lines for underlining. Three pictures are enclosed with a single, a double and a waved line, but these should be replaced by handwritten lines. Draw lines so that the pictures (after scanning and diminishing) get a width of about 1000 pixels (and a height that is as small as possible). In the text the part of the line is chosen by random. The pictures (in BMP format) must have the names "lig1" (single), "lig2" (double) and "lig3" (waved). The folder must also contain the picture "vide" only showing a dot and used when a character does not exist.
As the sensibility to the nuance of colour is set hight, uncleanness on the paper can cause deformed pictures, therefore you ought to check them.
If there are variants in the script, each of the variants is in the first turn regarded as an independent script, therefore we first assume that we have no variants. The program "CreeEcrit" produces (on the basis of the pictures) a file called "efil", which (in the case of only one variant) is the script file and which is given the name of the script and put in the folder "res". If there are variants in the script, the above procedure is performed for each of the variants. If the script is called "sophie" and there are six variants, you should call the folders with the pictures "sophie1", ..., "sophie6", and the script files "efil1", ..., "efil6". Put the script files "efil1", ..., "efil6" in the folder "res" and activate the program "CompEcrit" (in this folder), then the files are composed to the final script file called "efil", and which is given the name of the script ("sophie") (the files "efil1", ..., "efil6" can hereafter be deleted).
There are (of course) no variants of the underlinings (and they are only read from the last of the files "efil1", ...). In order to get variation in the underlinings, you should draw the lines as long as possible.
The name of the script is entered in one of the four lists produced by the program "Ecritures", by cliking in the grey panel below the list and enter the name. But in the first turn the name must be entered in list one, because the script file has to be worked up: when you for the first time write with a new script, all the letters will stand on the writing line. The script file has to be filled with numbers determining the heights over the line, and the distances to the previous and to the succeeding letter.
The adjustment of the positions is performed in the following way: Set up a new document with the new script chosen as primary script (first list - it must only have one variant) and write a text with a lot of combinations - you can for instance copy this text and insert it:
o1o2o3o4o5o o6o7o8o9o0o
oaobocodoeo ofogohoiojokolomono
ooopoqoroso otouovowoxoyozo
oAoBoCoDoEo oFoGoHoIoJoKoLoMoNo
oOoPoQoRoSo oToUoVoWoXoYoZo
o-o_o,o;o.o o:o!o?o'o"o(o)o+o*o/o=o%o
oåoæoàoäoâo oçoéoèoëoêo
oïoîoøoöoôo oùoüoûo
oÅoÆoÀoÄoÂo oÇoÉoÈoËoÊo
oÏoÎoØoÖoÔo oÙoÜoÛo
When you press key F2 you can adjust the positions with the arrows. When the program is in this mode, a white rectangle is shown in the coloured panel. Set the cursor at the right side of a character. At first the horizontal arrows are aimed at the right side of the character (the distance to the succeding character), and after Shift the arrows are aimed at the left side (the distance to the previous character) - the white rectangle shows the side. Also the distance between the words (the Space key) must possibly be adjusted. And besides the level of the underlinings: set the cursor in an underlined passage, press key U (or I or O) and adjust by the vertical arrows (click in the coloured panel when finished). Possibly also the distance between the individual characters (at the start set to 0) must be adjusted: set two cursors at the same place between two characters and use the horizontal keys (if this number has to be adjusted, it must of course be the very first adjustment). You finish by pressing F2 again, then the positions are put into the script file - if you regret the adjustments, press Esc before F2.